Only one more run of salmon to hit the streams and rivers. Leaves look old and ragged. Nighttime lows dip into the 40's. Only one more good tide to get razor clams. Dipnetting is over. Rainbow trout and moose season is about to start. These things mean that fall is in the air here in AK. If you didn't get here this summer start planning now for next summer. While you're up here throw some disc!

This summer the local ski hill, Hilltop, put in a new championship level course on the flanks of their double blacks and green bunnies. It's no Jackson mind you, (more akin to not so Perfect North), but it's still born and bred Alaskan - and that means it's BIG!!

This course is a pay to play course. $5 all day, $4 if you are a club member. Most all shots are awkward - uphill, downhill, sidehill, or some combination thereof. Wind can be an issue. The trees are thick, the the brush is dense, the devils club (and black bears) massive. This is a course for big arms. Being able to throw 400+ft can get you a duece on the 650ft downhill shots. Most holes are wide open. 8 or so are duecable. The distances are deceptive....240 plays like 300 uphill. 650 plays like 400 downhill. disc selection is paramount. chairlifts come into play. a 200ft wide fairway looks mighty narrow 1000ft away and 200ft downhill. This course was just put in...and it shows. Walking is hard--lots of little subborn saplings and bushes that get caught up in your feet not to mention stop discs instantly. 'Fairways' are mowed, but once off them the grass is thick and uncut making discs difficult to find. The teepads are too short for a proper runup, especially considering the distances involved. The best comparison in the cincy area is hole 18/24 at banklick and alt #1&2 at harbin. This course is frustrating. It's up and down. It'll make you sweat. It'll make your heart beat fast even at this 1000ft elevation. You'll lose discs. What happens next.....you drink a beer of course and all your worries melt away.

Sometimes for a course this big and challenging I'd recommend a big beer. Not this time. Play it safe big boy. Whoop out a buzz or teebird or roc and suck down a PBJ Saison from Midnight Sun. Considering that the brewery is only 5 min. away....why not?? it's got low ABV, it's crisp and refreshing and bubbly and tart and sweet. tastes like raspberries. seriously. it's made with raspberries and peppercorns to spice it up a little. goes down so smooth, just like your throws should be. staying outta trouble is the ticket. (I wish I had one while I racked up a 12 on the 1049fter in last weeks tourney).

My biggest beef with the course is that it's pay to play. I'm not used to paying a fee to play, so maybe that's why. And for my money's worth I get a fairly ungroomed course, short teepads, and a paper bracelet. Others tell me it helps keep the riff-raff away, keeping the course clean and douchebag free. Unfortunately, like many other places, disc golf courses are getting trashy....attracting a different breed of player....that results in a bad rap for us geeks reading this. check out this recent article - community.adn.com/node/157611. most disc golfers in AK thought the article did more harm than good. What do you think? I thought it brought to light our biggest threat. Maybe it will give park users the courage to encourage responsible habits and change the way people use the parks? Does pay to play keep the riff-raff away??? or does it support an exclusive entitled community that just preaches to the choir? It's located on private lands, built by a for profit consession. It's thier right. all I know is that there are more beer bottles and litter appearing on a daily basis. Are we the riff-raff?

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